What's Needed
by The Wiccan Warrior
Summary: Pitch wanted to enact his revenge, but all he did was bring out a side of Jack that nobody knew existed. Will he ever wake up?


He hurt, and every step he took only brought nausea and dizziness.

Blood leaked from several wounds all over his body, ranging from superficial, to very severe.

But he kept getting back up, he kept pushing forward long after the others couldn't go on. Why? Because there were some things that were worth more than your well being

Like your family's.

And Jack Frost was not going to let anyone tear his family away from him.

V_V_V

Pitch had attacked and kidnapped each of them in the middle of the night, and brought them to his lair.

He had been dormant all these years, and now he was ready to spring his revenge.

They had fought valiantly, but there was a reason Pitch had waited for so long, and brought them here.

One by one he rendered the Guardians unable to fight, until only an injured Jack remained.

At first Pitch thought it was comical, how Jack kept standing up, but now it had lost its charm, and was serving only to annoy the man.

"Why. Won't. You. Stay. Down?!" Pitch roared, punctuating every word by throwing Jack into the wall. He released Jack, hoping that the boy would finally stay down. He had to have cracked at least 4 of the boy's ribs by now.

Jack slid to the base of the wall, almost ready to give in to the darkness that was creeping into his vision. He looked in front of him and blearily took in the unconscious forms of Tooth and Bunny. No, he had to keep fighting. He had to beat Pitch and get everyone out.

Jack pushed the darkness away and tried to use his staff as a way to brace himself to stand back up, only to have Pitch kick it away from him. Pitch then drug him up by his hair, causing Jack to cry out, and his face to twist in a grimace of pain.

"Stop fighting Jack. You can't save them. You can't even save yourself." Pitch said before letting go and swiftly punching Jack in the chest.

Jack fell forward onto the cave floor, and didn't move.

Pitch smirked, thinking he had won, and turned away, walking towards his throne to survey his ultimate triumph.

Only to hear the sounds of panting, and groaning, as Jack rose to his feet again, ready to fight, even without his staff.

Pitch looked at him in angry disbelief.

Jack coughed harshly, and blood dribbled out of the corner of his mouth, but still he stood.

He stood for his family.

He stood for his beliefs.

He stood for his friends.

He stood for the children of the world, who without the Guardians, would never know happiness again if they lay down and let Pitch win.

Jack would continue to stand back up, no matter how many times he got knocked down.

He was a Guardian, and he wouldn't let Pitch win so easily.

Jack glared back defiantly. "I won't stay down Pitch. Not as long as there's still breathe in my lungs!" He declared.

"Well then, let's change that shall we?" Pitch sneered back, before the fighting began again.

Jack had seemed to gain a second wind of sorts. While he wasn't as fast as before, he was still able to get in a few good punches and kicks, and block and dodge the swipes that Pitch took at him with his nightmare scythe.

If only Jack could find his staff. He kept glancing around for it, but Pitch kept him pretty busy dodging him.

It was frustrating him to no end.

The longer this went on, the less energy he would have, and the more that Pitch would be able to gain the upper hand.

He needed to be able to use his powers, but without his staff it was useless.

Jack had just successfully pulled of an aerial round house kick to the back of Pitch's head, causing the Nightmare King to fall forward, when two things happened at once.

One, he saw his staff. It had ended up balancing precariously close to the edge of the bridge that led to some other part of Pitches lair, and two, He heard a cry as Pitch took a hold of a hostage of sorts.

Tooth didn't seem to truly register what was going on, only that Pitch had her by the base of her wings, and a dagger was at her throat.

Jack looked between his staff and Tooth.

"What's it going to be Jack? Will you surrender, or are you going to let the Tooth Fairy die?" Pitch handed out the ultimatum.

"Let her go Pitch!" Jack called over to Pitch, trying to ease his way to where his staff was, but Pitch saw the movement, and dug the dagger closer to Tooth's throat, cutting it a little to let blood flow.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Pitch taunted. The feeling of having power over the Guardian was heady, like a drug that Pitch could easily get addicted to.

Jack froze at the sight of the blood, and then his mind went blank.

Frost spread out from where Jack stood at an alarming rate, and the room dropped in temperature. Wind ripped through the room, chilling everyone present to the bone.

Bunny, Sandy, and North became more aware of their surroundings as the cold brought them around. They couldn't get up however, for the frost seemed to root them to the floor where they lay. They could only watch the events as they unfolded.

. The wounds that had previously been covering Jack's body were covered in frost, both the outer and internal injuries, allowing Jack to move more freely.

Pitch was shaken. He hadn't expected this, and for the first time since this fight began, he truly feared for his life.

He still tried to retain control of the situation however.

"Stop this Jack, or I'll kill her, I swear I will!" Pitch tried to yell over the roar of the wind, but his voice could barely be heard.

He pressed the dagger even closer to Tooth's throat, causing her to whimper, and more blood to flow.

Pitch's efforts only angered the winter spirit even further.

For you see, Jack was the cause of the powers he possessed, not his staff, like so many, Jack himself included, believed.

No, his staff was merely a conduit, a way to control those powers and make them manifest themselves.

But make no mistake about it; Jack could still access those powers. It simply took the right push.

Like someone actually threatening to kill someone precious to him, when he had no other way of stopping them.

So, seeing Pitch draw more blood from Tooth, did not a happy and calm Jack make.

Now there were flurries coming down hard and fast, pelting everyone with wet snow that had all those present soaked and freezing, and the wind had picked up a notch.

The words were whispered, but the wind carried them and amplified them for all to hear.

"Let her go."

Jack began to walk forward, his steps even, measured, menacing.

Pitch backed up into the wall, taking Tooth with him, easily freeing both himself and Tooth from the frost that only clung to their feet, frightened by this new side of Jack.

If the others were being honest, so were they.

"Let her go."

The words came again louder, no longer a whisper.

Now he was standing before Pitch, who was trembling in fright, holding Tooth to him as some sort of shield.

Jack's eyes, usually happy and playful, were as hard as ice as he glared at the Nightmare King.

"Let her go!"

This time the wind howled the words loud enough to make everyone cringe, though Pitch noticed that Jack's lips never moved.

Pitch dropped the dagger and pushed Tooth into Jack, while he tried to run away.

Jack caught Tooth without looking, and lowered her to the floor, his eyes still trained on Pitch, as the wind threw him back.

Jack rose and stalked over to Pitch. He picked the pathetic cowering man up by the front of his clothing.

Pitch was begging and pleading for his life, but the words fell on Jack's deaf ears.

The wind roared around the two, picking up in intensity, and fury, lifting the two off the ground, easily reaching hurricane force speed as it did so.

It seemed as if the Nightmare King was finally going to be eradicated from the world.

A hand on Jack's arm stopped him.

"Jack, that's enough." Tooth's voice shocked Jack out of the trance he had been in.

He looked at Tooth, who was next to him, and the only thing he saw was the sadness in her eyes.

The wind, the snow, everything stopped so suddenly that the silence was deafening.

Jack's eyes started to shut from the exertion, and he let go of Pitch, who fell to the ground with a loud thump. He went to get up, only to be met with three Guardians, all battered, but now free of the frost that had kept them in place.

Tooth caught the immortal teenager, and lowered him to the ground.

No one said anything for a while.

"We're going to go our separate ways Pitch. You are going to let us go, and we aren't going to beat you to a bloody pulp for attacking us, deal?" Tooth said, not even looking over at said man.

She was far too busy worrying if Jack was ever going to wake up again.

The others were watching him though, as the trembling boogeyman nodded; anything to get them to take the winter spirit far away from here.

Sandy retrieved Jack's staff and everyone crowded around Jack as North dug out a snow globe.

Bunny didn't even protest as they were pulled through the portal and to North's workshop.

V_V_V

They had set up Jack in a spare room in the workshop.

It was usually used to store failed prototypes of toys that North had not gotten around to making work, but all of that had been cleared away to make room for a bed and a few chairs.

Tooth had not left Jack's side since they had put him in the bed.

The other Guardians left her be, knowing they would not be able to pull her away even if they did try.

They did what they could for the two in the room.

Bunny made sure Tooth ate and took care of herself, while North looked over Jack's condition twice a day every day.

Miraculously, after the frost had thawed from Jack's body, his wounds were healed. North could not explain it, and chalked it up to one of those things that he would not question, and would simply count it as a blessing.

Sandy made sure that Tooth slept every night for at least four hours, if nothing else.

It wasn't until the sixth day that there was any change.

V_V_V

Tooth was sleeping, her head on her arms which were folded on the bed before her.

Jack blinked slowly, unsure of where he was.

He looked around and saw Tooth.

Then he remembered.

He remembered being afraid, and then angry, so very angry. He wanted to destroy Pitch. He would have too, if it hadn't been for Tooth. Her voice had cut through the fog of emotion and woke him up.

He reached out a hand; he just had to be sure this wasn't a dream.

Tooth felt someone stroking the feathers on top of her head. Their cool touch felt so good against her scalp that she could have stayed there for forever just like that.

Wait…cool?

Tooth's eyes snapped open and she sat bolt upright, causing the hand to retract.

She stared right into playful, kind, icy blue eyes.

"Jack? You're awake!" Tooth couldn't contain her excitement and pounced on Jack, hugging him to her; like she was afraid he would leave.

Jack laughed softly and hugged her back.

"Sorry for scaring you." He apologized.

Tooth pulled back and righted herself in her chair.

"How are you feeling? Do you need anything? Should I get the others?" Tooth was firing one question after another, and giving Jack no time to answer.

Jack chortled and took Tooth's hands into his own in order to get her attention back on him.

"I'm fine Tooth, I feel fine" Jack told her with a smile that made Tooth's heart pick up speed.

Tears welled up in her eyes.

"You scared me so bad Jack! I didn't know if you were ever going to wake up" She started.

"I know, I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me back there. I didn't hurt you did I?" Jack asked.

"No, I'm alright Jack." Tooth told him, wiping away the tears before they fell.

Jack was pacified by the words, until he lurched forward suddenly concerned as he remembered a very important part of what happened.

He grabbed at Tooth's shoulders.

"What were you thinking Tooth?! That wind could have torn your wings from the rest of you?! Why would you take that kind of risk?" Jack was more than a little panicked at the thought.

"It didn't though, and I had to. If I didn't, who knows what you would have done. As much as Pitch deserved it, if you had killed him, you would have regretted it forever. You're not that kind of person Jack, and I couldn't let you ruin your innocence," Tooth said softly, reaching a hand up to cup Jack's face.

Now it was Jack's turn to feel tears prickling in the corners of his eyes. The thought that someone loved him enough to risk their life like that, just to keep him from changing was almost too much for Jack to comprehend.

"It's okay Jack, you're safe here. Just lie down and rest. I'll be here when you wake up." Tooth was whipping away tears that Jack hadn't even realized had fallen, as she maneuvered Jack to lay back down.

"Promise?" Jack asked, not caring how childish it was.

"Promise," Tooth said, smiling softly down at him as she pulled the blanket up to cover him up.

Jack nodded and settled down, shutting his eyes and listening as Tooth hummed some sort of lullaby. That in combination with her stroking his hair lulled him back to sleep.

V_V_V

Tooth looked down at the sleeping boy. He looked so peaceful like this.

As she watched over him, she made a vow.

What had happened in Pitch's lair would never happen again.

It would never get to that point again. She wouldn't let it.

And as for Tooth's feelings for the boy, those could be sorted later.

Right now Jack needed a friend, and a mother, not a lover, and she would do that for Jack.

She would be whatever he needed, because she loved the boy, completely and absolutely, ever since the first day they met, and when you truly loved someone, it wasn't about what you wanted.

It was about what they wanted, what they needed.

Maybe one day he would want that kind of relationship, but for now, Tooth was okay with just being Jack's friend.

V_V_V

Oh my, I think I just friend zoned Tooth, what do you think?

Honestly the action is more my forte than the romance, but the story decided to take that turn on its own and I let it.

All in all, one of my better works I think, but I want to know what you think, so please review.

And as always, Have a nice day =)


End file.
